Yarrenyty Arltere Art Centre

The first time I saw the work of Dulcie Sharp and the other artists of the Yarrenyty Arltere Art Centre was at the Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art in Adelaide in October last year. Their soft sculptures and hand embroidery jumped out at me. I immediately felt a connection. It is as if every figure had a soul.

I spoke to some of the artists at the Adelaide event but did not have the opportunity for an in-depth conversation. While working on an article about the artists for Inspirations Magazine (Issue 91- available in July 2016) I communicated with Sophie Wallace, art coordinator at the centre via email and phone, but I longed to see how and where the artists work and to experience the place that inspires them so much. When our family holiday plans to Central Australia came together, I made sure a visit to the Yarrenyty Arltere Art Centre was on the itinerary.

My visit on a perfect autumn day in April could not have happened at a better time! I arrived at the centre on the outskirts of Alice Springs just as a blanket was pulled out of the dye vat. Wool blankets obtained from second-hand shops or donations form the basis for all the soft sculptures. Opening up a newly dyed blanket bundle has everyone in suspense. The rusted metal pieces and the natural plant dyes used in the process ensure that the final product is always an eagerly awaited surprise. This one had subtle green and charcoal patterns which would eventually find their way into another unique artwork.

I was fortunate to see the whole artistic process in action. From the newly dyed blankets all the way to the finished sculpture. The artists come up with concepts for their work, usually inspired by their everyday life in the town camps, or their vivid imaginations.

 

These concepts are sketched out and developed before being translated into pattern pieces. The figures are cut from the blankets, machine stitched and stuffed before it is meticulously filled in with hand embroidery. The story behind each piece dictates the pattern and the colours used for the embellishments.

All the work is done at the art centre where the artists come together around a big table piled with yarn and thread in every conceivable colour, texture and thickness. Works in progress and new ideas scribbled on sketchpads find a space on there too. On the day of my visit, I met Rosabella Ryder, Dulcie Sharpe, and Trudy Inkamala. Candy the art centre’s mascot dog kept watch under the table, making sure everyone was happy and safe.

The soft sculptures coming from the hands of these artists, working quietly in this far-flung and remote part of the world, are in high demand in galleries from New York to Singapore. But here around the table, that does not matter. What matters are the stories that are coming to life, stitch by colourful stitch.

Seeing where these sculptures are conceived, I now understand where their soul comes from. It comes from the hearts and lives of these women who tell their stories with their hands. Needle and thread translate the soul of the Larapinta Town Camp in Alice Springs into artworks worthy of the best art collections in the world.

Wanderings with Fibre Art Network

WANDERING – To move about without a definite destination or purpose. To go by an indirect route or at no set pace. Amble. Meander.

Wandering also sounds just like Wondering, which according to the dictionary, means fascinated, curious and enthusiastic.

Fleurieu Meander – Chris Beardsley

And that is a perfect description of the art and artists represented here – 55 works by 35 members of FAN (Fibre Artist Network).

Although ‘fibre art’ is often perceived as a very narrow niche, with many limitations, the array of work produced by fibre artists is limited only by their imagination. With techniques ranging from hand and machine embroidery, felting, lace, and quilting,  to printing, stamping, dyeing, painting, and beads, as well as knitting and crochet, mixed media, feathers, and basketry, a common theme can be interpreted in countless ways.

In this case, the limitations were the theme ‘wanderings’, the size of the artwork (max 24ʺ or 61cm wide) and a time frame of around 18 months in which to plan, design and produce the work.

Arboreus in Brachina – Alvena Hall

Bev Bills (OAM), RSASA director and founding member of FAN, opened the exhibition with a short glimpse into the history books. The initiative came from Alvena Hall, who invited a group of fellow fibre artists to an informal meeting back in June 1994. The aim was to meet informally, without agenda, to promote local and interstate fibre art. FAN was born at that meeting and grew from strength to strength, with many significant South Australian textile personalities as past and present members.

Meetings were held at different venues and supported by galleries, guilds, and academic institutions. FAN meetings are currently held four times a year in February, May, August and November at Marden Senior College, under the leadership of Suzanne Gummow.

Citrus Vessel – Margaret Carberry

In the current exhibition, as the theme and the background suggest – the work on display covers a very wide spectrum of techniques and materials, and even include a few three-dimensional works. Wendy Redden’s WAVES and Margaret Carberry’s CITRUS VESSEL stood out for me.

Op Shop Mandala – Madelaine Hedges

A few of the works are by current Marden College textile students and I was excited by their eagerness for experimenting and playing with materials and techniques. Their wanderings are fresh and full of enthusiasm. I particularly liked the techniques used by Tanya Davies in WILD WEEDS: DANDELION and Chris Beardsley’s use of natural dyes in FLEURIEU MEANDER.

Waves – Wendy Redden

Then there are the works by established artists like Madeleine Hedges, Alvena Hall, Joy Harvey and Cathy Boniciolli among others, which delights with their years of experience combined with their confidence in exploring new unknown territory.

But I guess that is what wanderings is all about – to be sure footed even when the destination is unknown.

Wanderings is on at Gallery M in Marion until 6 March 2016.
To learn more about FAN contact Suzanne Gummow.

 

Studio Naenna

It was a day of many firsts for me. It was late November 2015 and I’ve just arrived in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand via Singapore. I came here to visit my brother and to experience some of this area’s famous textile culture.

We arrived at Studio Naenna shortly after breakfast – just in time to see the studio coming alive. We were greeted at the gate by Lamorna Cheesman, studio manager, designer, and daughter of Patricia Cheesman, author, academic, artist, and the driving force behind Studio Naenna.

 

 

 

 

The studio is located in a traditional Thai house on a big property at the end of a narrow winding road. On the front porch, a lady was sitting on the floor mat, winding cotton thread onto skeins ready for dying. Next to her, a display of threads and dyes showed the origin of each colour – leaves, bark or seeds – next to the coloured fibres.

It was the first time I saw what Ebony seeds looked like, and I learned that if you want to know which colour to expect from a plant you have to look at it in a dried state.

Jungle Indigo

 

 

 

 

 

Lamorna took us to the back of the house where their indigo plantation grows. Another first for me. At Studio Naenna they cultivate two types of indigo:  The local broadleaf, jungle variety as well as the field or Indian variety.

Field Indigo

Lamorna explained how they make the indigo paste and then took us to the other side of the house where the indigo vats are located. We were just in time to see a dying session in progress. (A first again!)

 

 

 

The resident indigo expert was dipping several skeins in the vat. Some were dipped several times for a darker colour, some stayed light and some were layered to produce an ombre effect.

 

The main indigo vat at the studio has been alive for 20 years and are treated with great respect. I felt very honoured to see it in action.

Studio Naenna’s main focus is, of course, traditional Thai weaving and supporting local weavers, to not only keep the tradition alive but also to earn a living wage from their trade.

Once inside the cool of the house, Lamorna introduced us to ikat dying and weaving. Ikat is an extremely intricate method where the warp threads are coloured and patterned using a resist dying method before the master weavers turn it into finely woven textiles. More firsts for me!

These weavers work at their homes in the surrounding local villages. They are all part of the Weavers For the Environment Group, founded by Patricia Cheesman. The aim of the group is to improve the lives of the women and look after the environment while protecting and documenting the women’s indigenous knowledge of plants, weaving, traditional costumes and textiles. Studio Naenna help develops designs suitable for export while maintaining the knowledge of traditional design.

I loved every minute of our visit to Studio Naenna. Lamorna was an excellent and most gracious tour guide. My only regret was that my visit did not coincide with one of the studio’s regular indigo workshops. I will just have to go back for that someday…

For more information:
Studio Naenna website
Video of Patricia Cheesman talking about her work
My review of Patricia Cheesman’s book on Lao-Tai Textiles

Have you visited Studio Naenna before? Please share your experience in the comments. I would love to hear your story.

SALA – Class Act Collective

August is SALA (South Australian Living Artists) month in Adelaide. I started on a high by visiting SERENDIPITY, the Class Act Collective exhibition at Stump Hill Gallery this past Sunday.

Class Act Collective is a group of thirteen textile artists based here in Adelaide. The group evolved after they all finished their Textile Art studies at Marden College. Together they explore the artistic possibilities of fibre, textiles and stitching.

 

 

Natural dyes – the theme for this exhibition – is by definition unpredictable, exciting and surprising, hence the name of the show, Serendipity – A happy accident of fibre, dyes and stitch.

Stump Hill Gallery is the perfect venue for this exhibition. Surrounded by vineyards and open countryside, with a warm, natural and airy interior, it enhanced the natural theme of the artwork and validated the earthy hues of the fabrics and fibres.

I love that the description of each artwork explains the process the artist used to obtain the final result. The finished artwork is just a small part of the whole process and much of that is lost if you only see the end product. By explaining how cloth was boiled in onion skins, wrapped around trees and left exposed to the elements for days, tied around rusted iron objects, and dyed with eucalyptus leaves, it adds that extra dimension to the work.

But the work is so much more than dyed fabric. The composition of the final work, the story it tells and the technically superb stitching, elevates each and every item from craft to fine art.

Each of the thirteen artists brings their own voice and unique talent to the exhibition. Wearable art, vessels and wall art. It all adds dimension and personality to the exhibition.

Serendipity is on until 31 August at Stump Hill Gallery in McLaren Vale. It will be worth your while to visit. All items are on sale (except the two that I already bought…)